Janice Parra

Janice Ann Chauvin Parra

A legend gone. An icon exchanges her vivid, living color for eternal colors we can't yet imagine. A CHARACTER kicks off her signature high heels and dances off the stage. Our matriarch, our Mama, our "Miggy" gone on to greater glories.

Janice Ann Chauvin Parra was born January 26, 1935 in Houma, Louisiana to Hazel "Brown" Rome Chauvin and Wilbert "Butsie" Joseph Chauvin. She left this mortal life on August 27, 2025, for the eternal presence of her Lord, where we hope she is already enjoying an eternity of plucking Cadbury and Gold Brick eggs, and Hershey bars and kisses from heaven's chocolate trees as she'd always imagined.

Janice grew up under the shade of the live oak trees at Crescent Farm Plantation, where Albert Brockhoeft, her "Papee," was overseer. She spent her childhood planting those oak trees, and serving the field workers her shaved ice creations at Crescent Farm with her surrogate grandparents Papee and "Deeda," as she called her mother's sister, Hilda Rome Brockhoeft. The fertile grounds of Crescent, and her father Butsie's deep roots in the bayous of Chauvin in South Terrebonne Parish helped to form within Janice her deep love for Terrebonne's distinctive culture, full of soul and mystery. She didn't want to put the "gris-gris" on a "hah-yee-sob faht," but you'd best be careful and mind yourself.

A 1953 graduate of St. Francis de Sales High School, Janice continued her education at the Gradwohl School of Laboratory Technique in St. Louis, Missouri, and became a medical technologist. She returned to Houma to begin a career as a lab technician and medical assistant to Drs. Milo Aitkens and Walt Bringaze.

Wedding bells also rang for Janice in 1953, when she married Cecil H. "Hutch" Hudson of Sulphur. Their happiness was short-lived, however, due to a tragic automobile accident in Venezuela that claimed Hutch's life in 1957 as he was working abroad. Janice found consolation in their daughter, Kimberly. "Kimi" was her sidekick for the next several years, and the mother-daughter dynamic duo lived in an apartment above Butsie & Brown's home on Gouaux Avenue, making memories.

In 1960, Ernest "Parker" Parra galloped into Janice and Kimi's life like a knight in shining armor from Lake Providence, Louisiana. They fell hard and fast for each other, and Janice wed Parker on October 2, 1964. Parker adopted Kimi, and the Parra family flourished and grew, adding Matt in 1966, and Brett in 1969. Janice left the medical lab to devote her life to her young family and her community. She served tirelessly, providing shelter and meals to victims of Hurricanes Betsy and Camille, and was active in the Barr-Berry Garden Club.

Janice was a founder of the Vandebilt Catholic High School Fall Fair, which she chaired throughout the 1970's and into the early 1980's.

The 1980's also saw Janice become "Miggy." With the birth of her nine "faht blossoms" (her affectionate moniker for her grandchildren), Miggy came into her element. The name was a corruption of "Grammy," her selected grandmother name, but when faht blossom #1 pronounced it "Miggy," Janice leaned on into it. Miggy's joy was to spoil, entertain, and play with her grandchildren. A visit to Miggy's always kicked off with her dancing around the kitchen while singing silly songs and nonsense made-up syllables, while she fried up her famous butter-soaked silver dollar pancakes drizzled with Steen's ribbon cane syrup. She would toss candy and trinkets to the grandkids like she was queen of an all-year Mardi Gras parade.

In 1994, Parker sold his business Energy Tools, Inc., and he and Janice hit the seas and skies, traveling the world. They made rich memories globetrotting to many grand locales from Hawaii to Hungary. And for seizing every moment, they also made sure to give flight to their children and grandchildren - and later great grandchildren, supporting them in their endeavors, educational, professional, and cultural.

Miggy departs for eternal life after living this life to its fullest abundance. Her family will always remember her rich devotion to her Catholic faith. Her daily novena prayer ritual from the beautifully tattered brown book is forever etched into cherished memory of all who saw it, as is her steadfast attendance at Mass at her beloved St. Francis de Sales Cathedral.

Visitation for Miggy/Janice will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, September 6 at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral in Houma, and will conclude with a rosary at 11:30 AM. Funeral Mass will follow at 12:00 noon at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, celebrated by Father Jay Baker. Inurnment will follow at the mausoleum of St. Francis Cemetery #2. Ladies, show up with as much jewelry as you can pile on yourselves.

Miggy/Janice was preceded in death by her parents, Hazel "Brown" and Wilbert "Butsie" Chauvin, her husband Cecil H. "Hutch" Hudson, her husband of 58 years Ernest "Parker" Parra, and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends. Left behind to cherish volumes of memories are: daughter Kimi Parra Walker and her husband, Kim; son Matt Parra and his wife Jane; son Brett Parra and his wife Rocky; nine grandchildren: Brad Bourgeois, Gregory Bourgeois, Rebecca Bourgeois, Parker Parra, Jake Parra, Beth Anne Parra, Sister Esther Hope of the Sisters of Life, Walker Parra, and Matthew Parra; eleven great grandchildren; sister Peggy Chauvin Johnston, and a host of nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Mother Clelia Morning Star High School, 70 Hunter Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32505; (850) 857-8364; https://mshspensacola.org. The Parra Family would also like to express its deep and heartfelt appreciation to the following for their wonderful care of our dear matriarch: Dr. Russell Henry & staff for many years of dedicated care and service; to The Blake of Lafayette and its fabulous staff; to Camelot of Broussard, especially Lauren & Kizzy; and Treashur Naquin with Hospice of Acadiana for your love and pristine care in our Mama's/Miggy's final hours.

In conclusion, we offer a verse from the Gospel of St. John that was written about Jesus, but could also easily apply to Miggy: "There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written." Amen. And we believe it so, also, with Miggy.